Evening, folks. I hope somebody doesn't get miffed come the actual Independence Day....but we were out and about today.

Today was one of those idyllic New England summer days....the kind we wait and suffer all winter for. I spent a few hours earlier in the week getting my bike back in shape to ride. I haven't been on my bike in just about two years. With everything else going on, it seemed kind of pointless, but I digress.

Javi was gung-ho to ride on a "grownup bike trail", and we have one of the true treasures of America a mere 6 miles from our house here. We loaded up, got the bikes on the rack and drove over to Lexington, Mass to Minuteman National Park.


We walked up to park headquarters, and were lucky to catch the tourist film. This was presented from the point of view of Amos Doolittle, who journeyed to Lexington from his home in Connecticut just two weeks after the action on the Battle Road. I hadn't seen this film before...it was electrifying. You all know the story, but to watch it from what was essentially a first-hand point of view was riveting. Yes, this unpatriotic, northeast liberal effete was affected by a wee mote of dust. Should any of you ever make the pilgrimmage, this is a must-see. After the film, we heard of a musketry demonstration to take place soon, so we saddled up and headed out down the Battle Road.

We soon reached the Hartwell Tavern and dismounted to tour the 1732-vintage structure. Soon enough, a couple of park rangers in period dress had a brief talk about what it meant to be part of a militia and what a true "minuteman" was. Then they loaded up their flintlocks and sent a couple of volleys across the countryside.

Heading further down the road, we passed the original "bloody angle" (two Civil War sites also have one) and continued through some marshland and still working farms in the area. Some of these farms have been worked since the 1600s...and at least one is still owned by the same family.

We finally reached Merriam's Corner, but to our regret the home was closed, despite what the rangers told us at Hartwell Tavern. But at least the bathrooms were open, so we got some cool water on us, refilled water bottles, and turned to head back.

This was the hard part of the run....the terrain is all downhill to Concord, but heading back to town is all up. Something to consider when you think about what the Regulars had to endure that day...all under fire.

Finally cresting the hill, we stopped at the Captain William Smith House, a historic structure that dates back to 1692. We're on this stretch of the trail all the time in the winter; it's our favorite snowshoe destination. But this was the first time I can ever remember seeing the house open, so we stopped to take a look inside. Imagine my surprise to find a working harsichord in the parlor...with a park ranger that was all too happy to play us a couple of tunes. (And remember...Herr Mozart was a contemporary of the Revolution, so it's not that farfetched that the well-to-do in the colonies might have this instrument about.)

Finally...we headed back to park headquarters and called it a day. On the way home, we stopped at our friend's at D&L liquors and picked up six locally-brewed Harpoon Summer Beer for our evening cookout.

Capping the evening with a cigar and now some Red Sox....this was just about a perfect day.



Musing just a bit further....everyone has their "special place" to go, whether it's a physical location or somewhere in the mind. Minuteman NHP and the historic places in Lexington and Concord have been my place for quite some time. I am truly blessed to live where I do. As I've been fond of saying for many years now, this isn't something that happened in a history book. These are real places, where men fought and died, and the United States were born. I was doubly impressed today that everyone from Uncle Sam all the way down to the re-enactors had all the details right, and there was no politicking or editorial commentary anywhere along the way. Except for maybe that guy at park headquarters that said "Boston Tea Party" with a noticeable sneer....but I felt it was directed at the audience that might have different ideas about what really happened there.

Massachusetts is many things to many people, and it does indeed pain me deeply that our cherished locations and icons have been hijacked by all manner of people for their own nefarious, inaccurate purposes.

Patriot's Day is April 18....don't ever forget that.



Happy Birthday to us all, as we begin our 235th year of independence from the tyrant King George III.